The Los Angeles Dodgers had a chance to conclude their road trip by sweeping the Athletics, but instead chose to play for the future, and, unsurprisingly, it resulted in a loss.
The Dodgers finished their road trip going 7-2, dropping one game each to the San Diego Padres and the A’s, but winning all three series. They now return home for a four-game set with the Padres starting on Thursday.
Athletics 7, Dodgers 1: key takeaways
Mookie Betts scratched
Mookie Betts was originally in the Dodgers lineup, starting at shortstop and batting fourth, but he was scratched roughly two hours before the game. Betts is dealing with wrist soreness, so the Dodgers decided to be cautious with him, according to Jack Harris of the California Post.
Hopefully, the Dodgers got ahead of the injury, and the extra rest helps Betts recover fully, but they have already had multiple cases of seemingly minor injuries that turned into long stints on the injured list this season.
Betts has been the hottest hitter in the lineup recently, batting .355/.394/.661 over his last 15 games and finding more confidence with his swing and ability.
Charlie Barnes pitches in place of Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani was originally scheduled to pitch the series finale, but the Dodgers instead decided to push his start back to Friday. There are multiple reasons why the Dodgers pushed back Ohtani’s next pitching start, ranging from his overall health to the team’s current schedule and factoring in opponents.
Instead, it was Charlie Barnes who pitched the bulk of the game after Jack Dreyer struck out the side in the first inning.
Roberts said the goal for Barnes was to take down as many outs as he could, and the left-hander was effective in that regard. He pitched seven innings and got the Dodgers to the ninth inning.
However, he also allowed seven runs on 12 hits and two walks with just two strikeouts. Barnes gave up two in the fourth and three more in the fifth, which was when Roberts fully decided to punt the game.
Instead of going to the bullpen, the left-hander stayed in and pitched until he got out of each inning.
The primary goal was for him to save the bullpen for the upcoming series and get the Dodgers through the final game of this series. While the Dodgers still would’ve preferred to win, it wasn’t their primary focus.
Dodgers offense waves white flag
The only run the Dodgers scored came on a solo home run from Freddie Freeman in the third inning. However, Freeman was taken out in the sixth inning while the Dodgers were down 6-1, and Roberts decided to wave the white flag.
The offense only picked up five hits total, but did draw six walks to give them some chances to score. Ultimately, they went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
Kyle Tucker was responsible for drawing four of the walks, setting a new career high in a game for him.
Dodgers winning streak in blue jersey ends
Entering play on Wednesday, the Dodgers won seven consecutive games while wearing their alternate blue road uniform. Up until this game, their only loss on the current road trip came while they were wearing their traditional grey uniforms against the Padres.
The Dodgers were again in their blue jersey on Wednesday, and the loss brought that streak to an end.
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